04/11/13

This is Very Pinteresting: {Concrete Painted Floors}

For the latest installment of This is Very Pinteresting, we’re so excited to talk about the amazing painted concrete floors that have been Pinned all over the place lately! Now these aren’t any ol’ painted concrete floors. These are concrete floors with painted rugs on them! Genius, right?

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Painting rugs on concrete is a great way to highlight the industrial, modern feature of the home rather than hiding the floors under a rug. After all, the concrete floors are probably one of the main things that attracted you to the space!

When it comes to busting out the paint can on your own concrete floors {if you’re so lucky to have them}, you can get as intricate or as simple as you want. The simple design in the dining room above is great for us non-Picassos out there! I’d recommend having a design on hand and taping it out before you display your artistic talents on your floors. Perhaps start out small, like a 2×3 in the entryway.

Better yet, I’m thinking a garage would be the perfect space for a little test run! I’d love to park my car on a chic and unique rug! Who cares about mistakes in there?

But the best part about painted rugs? Not only are they a cool and fun idea, but buying a can of paint would save a pretty penny over purchasing an 8 x 10 vintage Moroccan Kilim!

Maybe we need to try this on the Apartment 34 offices…

image 1 via Decor8 // image 2 via Marie Claire Maison // image 3 via // image 4 via Marie Claire Maison

This is Very Pinteresting is brought to you by our editorial intern Bianca of A Fabulous Challenge!

8 Comments

04/10/13

New Series: {Designer Files}

While interior styling is one of my favorite things to do, I take my hat off to interior designers. Designing a space from scratch requires skill and expertise at an entirely other level. So I’m kicking off Designer Files today, a new series to showcase interior design that has my jaw on floor.

Our first designer, Josephine Interior Design, certainly fits the bill. I spotted her work in the latest Living Etc. I judge interior design by whether or not I want to move in immediately Don’t look now, I’m already on a plane to the south of France!!

Josephine has a knack for turning cow barns into awe-inspiring homes. Her own family house, (likely just down the block given how small the idyllic town of Bourgogne sounds), features glamorous touches like heirloom chandeliers and the largest kitchen island that you’ve ever seen.

This space is a little less grand, but no less impressive. I’m certainly never been drawn to the traditional french shabby chic, but Josephine dots a nod to french vintage seamlessly into her soundly modern spaces. I suspect that minimalist influence comes from working at the house of Celine in Paris for years. Le sigh.

But really, it was this master bedroom that had me at hello. Can you even imagine waking up to that view everyday?? It’s only made more spectacular by the fact that you can also enjoy it directly from your master bathtub!

The rough concrete surfaces Josephine favors are softened by featuring the exposed wood beams and the original brick walls. They’re made to feel more homey by her signature vintage chandeliers and miss-matched found furniture.

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This home is proof positive that you can create a diamond out of the roughest of starts. It’s official. I’m on the market for a cow barn!!

all photography by nicolas karadimos and richard powers for josephine interior design

15 Comments

04/09/13

Tasty Tuesday: {The Golden Ticket}

This week’s Tasty Tuesday is forgoing food. Instead we have a killer recipe for a show-stopping kitchen. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

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Polished brass has been making a serious comeback in the design world, but it’s usually stayed out of the kitchen. Until now. The glam factor of the golden hue has moved into the heart of the home, and why not?! It’s where we spend the majority of our time so we might as well make it fabulous, right?

I’m particularly smitten with the bronze hood featured in the jaw-dropping apartment in the first image above. The home was designed by the team from Workstead and was featured in Dwell Magazine last year.The designers dotted bronze throughout the otherwise minimal kitchen. It’s on the knobs of the range, on door pulls and on that amazing faucet. Workstead actually had to have the modern fixture replated in polished bronze, as it originally only came in chrome. I’m in love.

By mixing the gold accents with a bright white color palette it feels fresh rather than nostalgic. As the other examples show, classic materials like marble countertops, subway tile or iconic modern furniture make the bronze features stand out, in a good way. Suddenly gold cabinets feel totally now!

As much as I wish I could, I won’t be adding a custom bronze hood to the loft anytime soon, but I’d still love to brighten my kitchen with a bronze-colored accent or two.

Here are a few of my latest favorites:

shop 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7